I recently got my hands on a lens with a focal length I’ve never tried before: the NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S by Nikon. It’s a super-telephoto lens that promises a lot. But, with a hefty price tag of around $6,000, you may be looking for an unbiased opinion from a professional photographer, before you whip out the credit card and spend your hard-earned money. This is a real-world review, backed up by over 15 years’ experience in the photography industry. In this article, you’ll find information that is intended to help you decide whether or not this lens is right for you. With my main goal in mind, which is to help you make an informed decision, you’ll find a download link containing RAW (NEF) files, so you can play around, edit photos and see for yourself. Let’s dive into this Nikon Z 800mm Lens Review!
What you’ll find in this article:
My first impressions with the lens
Features & specifications
Image quality in different scenarios
Photo examples download link
First Impressions of the NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens
Despite the lens arriving to my studio in a gigantic box, the package was surprisingly light. Compared to its DSLR counterpart, the Nikon 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR, the Z / mirrorless version is truly a lightweight: 2385g vs 4590g. It’s also way less expensive: US$6000 vs US$16000.
The lens comes in a sturdy padded case, which will be pretty helpful to carry around, since it won’t fit into any regular photo backpacks.
One thing that impressed me while unpacking is the lens hood. It’s taller and larger than most of the lenses I own. Since the front element is so big, I highly recommend to put the lens hood on whenever shooting with this lens to avoid any damage to your precious piece of glass.
I was happy to discover the lens uses drop-in filters of a 46mm thread size. These filters usually come at a lower price points than a 82mm or 77mm filter.
Features & Specifications
With a maximum aperture of f/6.3, this lens will get you a magnificent bokeh with great sharpness, even fully open. I’ve come across some situations where I could’ve used a wider aperture, so I could lower the ISO. Nonetheless, with modern day editing tools that include great denoising features, I wouldn’t be too worried about venturing up the higher ISOs.
I was quite impressed with the stabilization of the lens with my Nikon Z8 body. Since this camera has already 5.5 stops built-in, the addition of a lens with VR such as the NIKKOR Z 800mm, brings the total stabilization to a whopping 6.0 stops. I was able to shoot handheld in most situations, down to 1/250th of a second.
Even though it looks big, it’s impressively light. Thanks to Nikon’s Phase Fresnel element, “which allows the lens to be lighter, shorter with fewer elements and pristine image quality.”
Performance of the NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S
The autofocus performed well in mostly all situations. From subjects in low-light, to fast-moving birds, coupled with a Nikon Z8’s amazing autofocus, I would say 90% of my shots with this lens were in focus, sharp and well exposed.
When I added my Nikon Z TELECONVERTER TC-2.0x to the mix, I found the autofocus to be much slower and inaccurate. I can’t think of any case scenario where I would need to have a 1600mm focal length.
Even though the lens stops down at f/6.3 as the widest aperture, the bokeh is soft and smooth. Also, I didn’t notice any specific chromatic aberration when reviewing the lens.
I wasn’t impressed by the performance of the lens in snowy conditions. Even with the Nikon Z8 autofocus, it struggled to detect the subject in many occasions.
Image Quality In Different Shooting Scenarios
Birds & Animals
Sports
Astrophotography
Street & Urban Photography
People & Portrait
My Final Thoughts on the NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens
Here are my final words on this Nikon Z 800mm Lens Review. Who is this lens for really? While this lens is a great addition to many photographers’ toolkit, I don’t think it’s necessary for everyone. I can see how bird and wildlife photographers can enjoy this focal length. Personally, since I don’t do a lot of these two subjects in my day-to-day photography, I’d rather go for a more versatile telephoto, such as the NIKKOR Z 180-600mm. This lens is made for people who need to take pictures of small wildlife or very far away subjects. It’s also made for people who are perhaps switching from DSLR and want a cheaper and lighter alternative to the 800mm they already have. It’s a great lens, but I won’t be adding it to my professional photography kit anytime soon.
